Ernest Hemingway's choice for the lead role in the screen version of his Pulitzer Prize–winning novel was Spencer Tracy, who earned the sixth of his nine Academy Award nominations—and Best Actor honors from the National Board of Review—for his portrayal of the aging Cuban fisherman who catches a huge marlin and must battle the sea, marauding sharks, and his own flagging strength to bring his great catch home. The 1958 film also earned an Oscar nomination for James Wong Howe's cinematography, and the great film composer Dimitri Tiomkin won the last of his four Oscars for his memorable score.